Shane Gillis Says He Promised SNL His Monologue Would Have “No Controversy”

More than a month after his recent Saturday Night Live monologue provoked controversy, Shane Gillis has finally spoken out about the backlash. Speaking on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience from November 13th, Gillis denied the notion that SNL had approved his material beforehand, stating, "Not to defend SNL, they don't approve it."

He confessed, "I went into that episode expecting an uneventful reception. The whole time, I was like, ‘Fellas, I’m giving you a solid C minus of a monologue, but I promise there’s no controversy. I’m calling myself fat for fucking 10 minutes. That’s it.’" While not overtly inflammatory, Gillis included a portion of his October 10th monologue where he made a sexist remark about women dressing like whores at the gym.

This joke drew criticism from Dan Levy, who called the comments misogynistic, and from SNL cast member Kenan Thompson, who expressed a desire to have a "real chat" with Gillis before appearing again on the show. Inde Navarrette later referenced the joke during her own monologue on SNL, joking about her own gym outfit. Despite his history of controversy, Gillis said he largely avoided seeing the reaction this time around by deleting his social media.

Reflecting on his previous experience in 2019, when SNL fired him shortly after he was announced as a new cast member following the resurfacing of homophobic and racist jokes, Gillis said that this time he immediately deleted his social media presence. "So, I don’t really know," he admitted regarding the extent of the backlash. Watch Gillis’ conversation with Rogan and friends, and revisit his controversial monologue below.